[S] Breeding Prices [New poll]

[Syaoran-Puu]

*this is my personal opinion and not the opinion of the store/staff*

I must say.... a tiered system will get messy.

Mostly because different colourists do have a different option of edit levels, so while one might be willing to do more under 'moderate edits' another wouldn't.... so you might suddenly be told "em, you need another XYZ kGold actually." Yeah not nice, especially if you have to scramble to find said extra gold. I know I wouldn't want to go around begging my friends or my breeding partner. The only way around this is to have one person who declares the classification of your pet and you are forced to abide by it... but again this will still get messy, people will try and twist it "oh, but I thought it was ***" or "Oh but so and so said it was ***" ok, so it's not everyone who would do that but it would and does happen, so let's not kid that everyone is pure and innocent and would never do such a thing. If it was added to the owner's list that is creating work for the sake of creating work for the owner's list creator as all previously recorded pets would need to be assessed too.
Also some mutants are only light mutants... for example my kalona Gishoni is now officially classed a mutant because he has five horns on his head, but when he was bought he was only a kalona. This has happened a lot to people during reclassification.... so it would actually annoy me a little to have to pay a 'mutant' price for him when I clearly have ponies with far more mutations than him... and if the price was so high for a breeding I would likely go for them rather than him, especially since my breeding luck generally sucks and they all go to Low Luck (XD hahaha).

In all honesty I don't see the need for a tiered system. Nor do I see much need to increase the breeding cost. However, if it was decided it should be increased I think it should be a set price across the board.

Also, in line with breeding baskets being gifted, quite often one person will pay for all the breedings in a opening, if the price increased or tiered this would likely change as people would store their gold more for themselves... and while that's not a bad thing, it would have a negative impact on the store's community feel, and considering how large Soquili is I don't think it is wise to upset the ethos and running of the store like that.  

[LunaRei_SilverBlood]

I have to say, I would love to see the prices raised not to such a high degree but more then 12k. But like someone mentioned before; I would expect things to be done in a 'timely' manner - bar some RL emergencies, RL does come first and so long as the colorist accepts slots that are reasonable to their time constraints. This is a breedables shop and I would like to see more breedings over the customs. - my personal opinion

_____

But onto the larger matter I see here and I'm at the point where I just don't care anymore. I'm beyond disgusted to see this person(s) being attacked / talked down too because they feel the need to use a mule to post their opinion. Most people -never- speak up or say anything because of the backlash and it's really redic. I mean the staff even went to the point of creating a feedback mule so people could anonymously send things in.

When I first joined Soq, I tried for almost 2 years to get a horse. Then I was in a Speed FS that I accidentally false started because I had another window open and clicked send on the wrong one. I got threats PMed from people in the shop. I apologized in the thread and offered to give up my slot but the staff member hosting it said that it wasn't necessary and to just be more careful. I reported the PMs to the shop and -nothing- was done about it. I never even received a PM back. And then when I was in the thread a couple of the staff members actually made fun of me / made snide remarks for reporting it because it was their friends.

Granted that was years ago. But I learned "Why even bother voicing concerns?" And I didn't for a very long time. And then I grew up and realized that there were more important things going on then pictures of horses. I adore my characters just as much as other people but I like to think that I would never go after someone because they expressed an opinion. This is a -huge- shop and there will -never- be a time when everyone is satisfied or happy. It's just a fact. And this is a person or people expressing an opinion that they took the time to look into and put together. Regardless of whether or not you agree with them they deserve respect enough to not have their head(s) bitten off. Voice your opinion and the reasons why you disagree rather then going after someone.

I have found that this is often the case when someone voices something fairly radical but at least they had the balls to do it. And even though I agree with the general idea of what's being suggested I would post this for someone's opinion that I disagreed with too.  

[Phail Ninja]

Just my two cents. Don't mind me 8D

Firstly, I'll get this whole debate about you using a mule out of the way with. I don't see the point in it, but I don't care/won/t judge you for it/whatnot. I won't hold your ideas against you personally, so long as you present them in a clear, logical and non-confrontational way where you explain your reasoning clearly and don't force your beliefs upon others. Yes, the topic may be controversial, but I have found that so long as you do not argue, and are generally nice and take other people's points into consideration, you will have a friendly debate rather than an all-out rage war. Suggest alternatives, if they get shot down, leave it. I have opened several topics in the feedback forum and have always been met with positive replies, even if they don't agree with me. Long story short: No one will judge you for your ideas, but if it makes you more comfortable to say them from behind a mule, go for it, just don't use the mule as an excuse to argue/whatnot (I'm not saying you are, I'm speaking generally).


ANYHOW, *clears throat* onto the actual topic at hand.

I disagree with your idea of a tiered system based on edit levels. Yes, I respect that higher edits are harder for colorists to do etc... but as has been raised before, colorists are by no means required to open edited breedings. Also, this would effectively punish people who have heavily edited ponies (which are hard enough to acquire anyway, with limited funds, why should you be punished for having one?).

Colorists do amazing work at this shop, and I mean really amazing. They literally blow editting levels through the roof compared with shops, and I respect and love them for it. Yes, this is hard work. Do they deserved to be paid more, however? I'm not sure. I wouldn't be against raising the breeding fee from 12k anywhere up to 50k (25k each), however anything more than that becomes an extortionate amount.

I think, the main problem is, that you are not respecting the differences between customs and breedings. In a custom, usually, the artist gets no say over the appearance of the Soq. They have to make it tailored to the owner, which is going to be a lot more difficult for the colorist, especially if the owner has a specific look/style in mind that the colorist finds hard to match. Thus you pay for the tailoring, the element that makes this Soq unique to you.

On the other hand, in a breeding the colorist has full freedom to blend the two Soq together in a way that will respect their own unique style. Sure, some couples will be harder than others, but the colorist can still tweak them/add throwbacks in etc... that will give them that artistic freedom and allow them to make the foals how they want them to look. So overall, whilst they are making more stages etc... it will still be an easier task, I think, than being told "this exact hair style must go here, and this must be done to perfection in this place" etc...

Also, a lot of people tend to tip the colorists, which I imagine helps. I imagine colorists aren't that short on money, as well. They have auctions, customs, bribes etc... that allow them to earn gold. I actually think it's nice it's possible to get baskets without having to fork out huge amounts of money, and I still respect that this is a lot of work for the colorists, but I imagine money isn't everything to them? This is my opinion, anyway.

A tiered system would also be confusing with edit categories, which can be very subjective (e.g. I know mind is a lot more lenient on this in customs). So it'd get confusing :/

And to those saying it's easier to make money on gaia now, this is somewhat true. However, there is also a tendency for people to spend much less time on it now than they used to, so there are a lot of people who simply don't have the time/means to earn the gold, even if there are ways of doing it. As a full time students, I find myself too busy to even reply to all of my RPs, nevermind play booty grab/do whatever else, and buying GC just isn't an option for me. Thus raising funds can be very difficult for me. In fact, the funds I did manage to acquire for customs were due to some very nice donators (thank you, everyone x3), so don't assume that a higher price will mean that everyone who is trying for breedings now will still be able to afford them/try to get them Dx




For those too lazy to read:
1. Mule/not mule, it doesn't matter, just please let's all be civil.
2. Tiered system messy + subjectiveness with regards to edit categories.
3. In customs you pay for tailoring the Soq exactly how you want it to look, in breedings the colorist has full artistic freedom and this somewhat helps to balance out the price difference.
4. I am not against the price of breedings being raised up from 12k to about 50k.
5. Lots of people don't have that much gold on gaia Dx

 

[Ktns]

LunaRei_SilverBlood

But onto the larger matter I see here and I'm at the point where I just don't care anymore. I'm beyond disgusted to see this person(s) being attacked / talked down too because they feel the need to use a mule to post their opinion. Most people -never- speak up or say anything because of the backlash and it's really redic. I mean the staff even went to the point of creating a feedback mule so people could anonymously send things in.

When I first joined Soq, I tried for almost 2 years to get a horse. Then I was in a Speed FS that I accidentally false started because I had another window open and clicked send on the wrong one. I got threats PMed from people in the shop. I apologized in the thread and offered to give up my slot but the staff member hosting it said that it wasn't necessary and to just be more careful. I reported the PMs to the shop and -nothing- was done about it. I never even received a PM back. And then when I was in the thread a couple of the staff members actually made fun of me / made snide remarks for reporting it because it was their friends.

Granted that was years ago. But I learned "Why even bother voicing concerns?" And I didn't for a very long time. And then I grew up and realized that there were more important things going on then pictures of horses. I adore my characters just as much as other people but I like to think that I would never go after someone because they expressed an opinion. This is a -huge- shop and there will -never- be a time when everyone is satisfied or happy. It's just a fact. And this is a person or people expressing an opinion that they took the time to look into and put together. Regardless of whether or not you agree with them they deserve respect enough to not have their head(s) bitten off. Voice your opinion and the reasons why you disagree rather then going after someone.

I have found that this is often the case when someone voices something fairly radical but at least they had the balls to do it. And even though I agree with the general idea of what's being suggested I would post this for someone's opinion that I disagreed with too.

This... 100 times this.  

[JetAlmeara]

I'm not going to weigh in on the actual price of breedings. I'd be willing to pay a slight increase sure. But to be honest I don't think any of the colorists here in Soq are overly worried about the gold they make on breedings. Customs and events pretty much net them more then most shops make in an entire year, with the exception of maybe SOA where they force you to custom in for 500k after your first breeding with a particular pet.

However if there is a price increase I don't think a Tier system will work, not only is it messy and likely to bring on a lot of drama but I have a feeling that it would only up the already difficult time some people have finding mates...I mean if your going to pay a huge amount of gold to breed your pet then a lot of people are going to make sure they get their 'golds worth' by only breeding to Soq of similar edit levels.

For example in your system My soq ,Ironforge (I don't really know his edit level tbh but we'll call him Heavy cause of all his fluff) I would pay 400k to breed him but his life mate Keely is unedited so the other owner would only pay 50k. we both get babies of similar edit level and it's conceivable though improbable that I could even get a completely unedited foal since picking a basket is pretty much a crap shoot in regards to whats inside while she got a heavy edited foal. How is it fair that I paid more then her?

While some people wouldn't care, and others breed for RP purposes..I can see that thought running through peoples heads when picking mates. So no..if prices were raised I would greatly prefer a flat fee across the board raise.  

[Yumitoko II]

Before you say I'm talking in circles…it's late…I'm tired and anything reiterated in this post just means I agree all the same with the majority of the people discussing this topic.

PANK x lemons

There is already a charity even. Questline.

Note that Questline is aimed at Newbies and would not apply to breedings or help with that in anyway so I do not think in this instance you could use this for an example because they are for specific quests.

I feel bad that people have to post on mules to be heard but I think a tired system spells out drama because the store is so diverse it is hard to standardise things and lots of colourists have different ways of doing things and standards etc.

Colourists have the freedom to do what they want and not all heavily edited parents get children which are just as edited. That is at the colourist's discretion, the tiered system and the way in which you pay for these means that the colourists would have less freedom with breedings and would have to breed the soquili at this level.

It's sort of like a semi-custom / mock breeding type things going on, you know what I mean? xD

I do not think that the amount soquili colourists get from breedings is of much of a concern to them, they seemingly get paid well during the events and are also paid in free event pets and credits. But the main reason why I think they do their job is because they like it, not to whore money from people.

It is very cruel to those who may not have much money, newbies and regulars a like, I know some people may have a lot of money, but there are those who don't and it will maybe the shop seem more like an exclusive club and that I do not like.

Not being mean, just another opinion…hope I didn't sound too horrid. sweatdrop
I just think that it'd make things complex because we'd need a manager for a thread of approval for breedings and edit level and I don't think the colourists have time to go through each couple, furthermore I do think that if there was a manager to decide this, the manager's views may be different to the colourists…
this is giving less artistic license because so much money is being paid a person will expect edits at the same level when I have seen heavily edited couples with minor edited or moderate edited children.

Quote:

•I want colourists to keep their freedom in artistic choice (so they won't go crazy out of their skulls and lose inspiration, I want them to love what they do and not feel a slave to it. )
•I do not want it to be an exclusive club for only those who can afford that much… (because I know some newbies already see the soquili community as exclusive enough)
•Breedings are hard enough to get as it is, I don't think we'd want to worry about edit categories and not being able to afford it or not being in the right categories (you have 24 hours to pay after you win a slot…we don't want to run around like headless chickens begging for money because we may have fallen short).

PANK x l3mons

THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION FOR A SOLUTION

2. There has been grumbling that Soquili is becoming an overly edited shop. This new system would encourage the breeding of unedited soquili. Usually if you have a mutant or an extreme edit soq you probably bribed or spent an insane amount of gold on an auction or raffle to get it. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS, I KNOW, however breedings are only slightly more likely to happen that customs so it is not unreasonable to expect people to save up gold for breedings in the same manner they do for customs.

4. It would possibly discourage people from throwing random pairs together just because there is a breeding thread open all of a sudden. I know I don't always have 500k just laying around.

Quote:

Your rise in prices would cause an inflation of custom prices too…they would have to rise for sure if the breeding prices were so ridiculous… /:
Inflation = bad…

Also I want to say if someone's going to get a moderate - extreme edit soquili, why shouldn't they breed them if the dice rolls them?

They usually obtain them by bribes, working their butts off to get credits, RL customs or oodles and oodles of gold and who are we to even dictate that?

I don't think someone would want to pay that much for a pet they can't even breed or to discourage others or make it hard for people to breed their pets when they're hard enough to get anyways, it just cuts down chances and productivity.
It's really unfair and again makes it elitist…
would you want to pay upto a million or more to breed your pets, and it's children after that and after that and after that and then again after that?

Quote:

I think the reasons why colourists may not be tipped is because we know that they are well looked after by the shop itself and I'm pretty sure it's not about the gold for them anyways. They are generally treated well by the majority of people (or so I should hope) and the shop and are doing it because they love the pets and the shop itself.

So please do not try to imply we are ungrateful (just because we may not tip) because we are not and we very much like what the colourists here do.

Quote:

Also I think your point about the random couples is wrong.
Really why would we even have special mixer events if we were so against it?
Those events are meant to be a little bit of fun.

And people can do what they want with their soquili as long as it's within the rules. biggrin

Quote:

You talk about events like Niss' contest, but keep in mind it's run by the owner of the bred pair and not the shop. I am going to honestly say that those contests are very rare and are done out of the kindness of the person's heart.

But you've got to admit that those will almost become extinct because of stupid prices. I don't think people would want to give them away free or so easily… /:

PANK x l3mons

Clearly, according to the poll, not very many people agree with me, but I really don't understand why. I am not a colorist but I put myself in their shoes and wonder to myself why I would be asked to do more work for less pay. It truly baffles me, but maybe it's just a matter of different worldviews or something. : (

Quote:

I don't know how long you've been in this shop for but if you've seen the credit system and the passion and artistic flare the colourists have for these pets you'd understand.

And finally …breedings are not meant to eat into your quest funds...  

[.Tortured. .Pumpkin.]

Just. No. >_<
If it doubled, sure. Whatever. But 50k per unedited parent? That's eight times more than we currently pay. For an unedited pair. And more per edit category? Soquili are less than affordable for most people when it comes to customs and such. So if you're questing for that pony you want oh-so-badly, why would you spend all of your progress for one breeding? This would cause an influx of, "We need more customs," and less, "we need more breedings." Also, I feel like this would drive people away. Because if they're pretty unobtainable already, and you're waiting for that one affordable slot, and it becomes unaffordable to you? I know I'd ditch and find something that's of slightly less quality and cheaper because I'd still have a character I can plot and RP, and I'd be able to get more without braking the bank, and without so much competition.
And we have NO say in what the breeding looks like. None. Yeah, we choose the parents. But that colorist and the dice choose exactly how those offspring will look. What's next, paying a little extra to get exactly what breed you want from the parents? Get what kind of hairstyle you want, or which markings you want from the parents? >_<

I didn't even read this thread because I find it kind of ridiculous, honestly. And judging by the poll, a lot of people would agree with me.  

[Sabin Duvert]

IT's an interesting conversation, arguments aside.

I do think that there are a few considerations that also factor into what might make this difficult, or just things that haven't been considered as far as compensation goes:

1 colorists get more credits for breedings - GENERALLY - than customs. That can be broken a little if you're doing a 3-baby edit-monster breeding, BUT, it can be easier to get a good number of credits from doing breedings.

PERSONALLY speaking, I was never doing soquili for the gold - to me, the credits was more of my "payment" for doing it, because I love the pets and this is pretty much what I spend all my gold on anyway.

2 - Jr Colorists are only able to do breedings, not customs. So this is kind of like their trial period, seeing their design work, and making sure they can keep up with the workload. That also makes becoming senior colorist a goal to be able to take customs, ie, being able to make gold from the shop.
That is also kind of an argument on both sides of the coin - as higher priced breedings would give Jr colorists an "income" on Gaia before reaching Senior.

3 - As far as the discussion about limiting breeding attempts... I... honestly don't think it would make MUCH difference. Given the number of people who try for customs, and yeah, most people do have access to 100-500k and how rare it is to get a breeding, I know I'd drop that on a breeding given the chance, and I think most regulars would, too. That isn't really an argument on either side, just my thoughts.

Maybe a colorist after doing their quota for the month might be able to open extra "higher priced" slots as a reward - but most people don't have the time or opportunity to do two offerings in the same month and get both finished to be ready for the following month.

But yeah, I don't think that 12k for a breeding (or 6k for a flatsale soquili) is anything more than a formality at this point.

I'm still of the opinion that flaffles should just be free raffles and count towards' peoples free pet of the month limit to spread the love some more *shrugs*.

I do agree that tiered system could be complicated if it were anything other than edited vs unedited because different colorists seem to have different definitions of edit levels. IF this system were implemented, Maybe the winners could choose up to what edit levels they want for the foals if pricing is an issue *shrug* - say the colorist who picks them can say what edit levels the parents would be considered by their book, and then let the winners pick up to what edit level they want for offspring ((Kind of like how now you can enter edited couples into unedited slots sometimes with some colorists, but you get unedited babies)). BUT - I can see that being a whole can of worms in dictating to the colorists what edit level they have to do for each baby etc etc etc.  

[ProphetOfProfit]

LunaRei_SilverBlood

I have to say, I would love to see the prices raised not to such a high degree but more then 12k. But like someone mentioned before; I would expect things to be done in a 'timely' manner - bar some RL emergencies, RL does come first and so long as the colorist accepts slots that are reasonable to their time constraints. This is a breedables shop and I would like to see more breedings over the customs. - my personal opinion

_____

But onto the larger matter I see here and I'm at the point where I just don't care anymore. I'm beyond disgusted to see this person(s) being attacked / talked down too because they feel the need to use a mule to post their opinion. Most people -never- speak up or say anything because of the backlash and it's really redic. I mean the staff even went to the point of creating a feedback mule so people could anonymously send things in.

When I first joined Soq, I tried for almost 2 years to get a horse. Then I was in a Speed FS that I accidentally false started because I had another window open and clicked send on the wrong one. I got threats PMed from people in the shop. I apologized in the thread and offered to give up my slot but the staff member hosting it said that it wasn't necessary and to just be more careful. I reported the PMs to the shop and -nothing- was done about it. I never even received a PM back. And then when I was in the thread a couple of the staff members actually made fun of me / made snide remarks for reporting it because it was their friends.

Granted that was years ago. But I learned "Why even bother voicing concerns?" And I didn't for a very long time. And then I grew up and realized that there were more important things going on then pictures of horses. I adore my characters just as much as other people but I like to think that I would never go after someone because they expressed an opinion. This is a -huge- shop and there will -never- be a time when everyone is satisfied or happy. It's just a fact. And this is a person or people expressing an opinion that they took the time to look into and put together. Regardless of whether or not you agree with them they deserve respect enough to not have their head(s) bitten off. Voice your opinion and the reasons why you disagree rather then going after someone.

I have found that this is often the case when someone voices something fairly radical but at least they had the balls to do it. And even though I agree with the general idea of what's being suggested I would post this for someone's opinion that I disagreed with too.

Agreed 100%  

[xx Aps]

I'm not really sure I have a right to post here... because lets face it, I'm not active in this shop.
That is, however, for reasons of not finding very friendly people and the prices already being outrageous vs the amount of people vying for those slots.
However, that is neither here nor there.


I'll say this.
I own 4 Soq.
2 of which were given to me kindly from other people's Breedings.
I have never won a breeding here and I feel as though prices should be raised somewhat, those kind of prices you're suggesting... seems... ridiculous.
And I feel as though with those kind of prices you'd see a lot less people giving people baskets, especially those like me who aren't active in the shop.
It seems as though it would turn into a base for "you give me a highly edited pet from your breeding and I'll give you one from mine" to keep the novelty going.
I don't mean to say that all people would be like that, of course, but I could see it happening more.


That being said, I don't have that kind of gold.
I'm not a colorist in any shop (though I do co-own one, but I don't make a lot of gold from it ever).
I also have an 11 month old child irl.
I don't have time to spend on Gaia constantly making gold.
Nor do I have real money to spend.
I don't enter paid raffles, in any shop, because I think the prices are extreme.
I rarely ever enter customs.
So I don't exactly understand how those kinds of prices are feasible for someone like me.
Added with the fact that I don't have friends here who would help me, and I don't like begging people for gold especially when there are other people who would make more use out of getting pets here than I would.

I'm sorry if these problems were already addressed, I only read through the first page.
And I'm not trying to cause any problems either, so I'm sorry if I am.
^^;;

 

[Polette]

PANK x l3mons

the_scowling_cat

To compare, SoA have expensive customs as well (though not as much as our 4+ mil Angeni and Skinwalkers), and they have a small cost for breedings. And their litters are -larger- than the basket total here. While they might not have edits, they make up for it on the detail in the pelts and the number of cubs/pups/litter mates.

I think Soq does just find in comparision, given they give us well editted pets at only two or three per breeding at the price we pay.

I get that you don't understand why breedings are so cheap, but hon, that's also the norm for most BC shops. If you solely want to change Soq's in compared to their customs, you best be ready to go to every single other shop and demand the same.

Soq is in high demand, ergo they are more expensive. SoA puts out more pets, so I guess maybe they are just meeting their demand better than Soq is at the moment. I suppose they are probably comparable in customer base with a lot of crossover, but detail or not I just feel that soq has an overall higher demand and a higher quality. There are very few shops around at present that I think equal the quality and enjoyability of soq but again that's just my opinion.

SoA really doesn't have to worry about much edits. But, that makes it sound like I'm arguing for or against unedits/edits. Which I'm not.

I don't normally post in things like this, partially because I'm not very active in the shop (posting in the thread, mostly), but I thought I'd mention a few things. o:

I don't want to come across as being rude, but a few of your posts have kind of rubbed me a bit wrong. :c I think it's mostly because this issue seems to be a pretty personal one, but I still think that instead of pretty much attacking some of the disagreements that have been brought up, it'd be better to acknowledge them as valid opinions that are obviously shared by multiple people. >w< ....that also kinda flies for some of the people commenting in response. o no

My actual comment comes next; I read the_scowling_cat's comment, and completely agree. I am an SoA regular, and have been with the shop for years. I don't agree at all with the comment that Soq are high in demand compared to SoA. I'm not trying to compare shops here, because I adore both equally. But it seems that you're trying to compare them and make Soquili out to be some all-mighty powerful shop, and therefore breedings should be more expensive. But that's why Soquili is such a nice shop; you don't have to have a lot of gold to enter things like breedings. I know that that's what's made SoA so accessible to newbies, and that was also a commonality that sort of helped me bridge over into this shop.

I'm also not rolling in gold. I do, however, understand that there are some people who do, though, be it from items or other Gaia revenues. But if you're like me, and also have commitments in other shops, then you don't have as much to split between the two. So it would almost effectively force some people to choose one over the other; and unfortunately, I'd have to cut breeding my Soquili from my mind, as much as I love them.

the_scowling_cat

Lemons, breedings are chump change compared to custom prices. The point is you don't get to choose what's handed down. It's like getting a flatsale pony, except this one's related and looks like one of your other ones. That's how its done in almost every BC that isn't heavy RP required. Like I said you want to change the norm, go a head, but at least spread the love and go to every other BC shop.

I also completely agree with this point; breedings are very much like flatsale ponies, as in you don't get to pick what it looks like, but it is related to other Soquili. I say this mostly because I have seen many flatsale and flaffle ponies that are moderately editted, but still going for the same price. o: It's really up to the colorists on what they feel like doing. But I do agree with LunaRei_SilverBlood, and you, that slightly raised breeding prices would be alright. 12k really is the cheapest I've seen for breedings; heck, I've been perfectly fine for paying 15k per parent in SoA for a breeding (though, that is with more available offspring, but with less options for edits.) I think it'd be alright to discuss maybe a more generalized tier, maybe with unedited ponies staying that the current 12k, and then thinking about prices around there for more extravagant ponies.

On the issue of the customs comparison (which isn't really the problem/idea that this thread is for), I understand that the prices have something to do with the rarity of different breeds, which is something SoA doesn't have too much of. But the cheaper breedings + more expensive customs thing really is just something that runs in most B/C shops, so that's also why I don't think it'd fly too well. o:

So I guess to sum it up, since I seem a bit sporadic:

+ I kind of agree/like the idea of tiers, but to a much lesser extent. I understand that the effort put into different edit levels of breedings is definitely different, but I think that raising the prices to the ones initially suggested is far too extreme, and will ultimately turn people away. :c That's also why I think so many people have a problem with this suggestion, because most people aren't going to want to pay 200-300k per parent (as most people own minor-moderately editted Soquili) for a breeding. I've seen it tried in another shop, and that shop maybe gets one breeding submitted when they're opened.
+ I do have to say, though, that tiers might just make things more difficult. :c To me, when I first came to Soquili, it seemed like a much more in-depth and complicated shop than any other I had seen. I still don't fully understand some things in the breeding system, no matter how many times I read it them over.
+ I kind of agree with the 'why fix it if it's not broken' thinking; though I think it's always good to consider some changes, this one does seem a bit large-scale.
+ Just gonna add this note, but I also understand why you'd use a mule of sorts; though I didn't realize it until people started mentioning it. xD; I've seen how harsh people can be, and especially when it comes to a suggestion that may not come across all that well to some people. Backlash is an ugly thing, and I wish it didn't happen. :c

....I hope that's okay. ;3;

 

[Tygress Dream]

The main problem I see with the whole idea is that, as in most shops I've been in as a customer or staffer, prices for breedings are based on flatsale prices not on custom prices. The base number of baskets for a breeding is 2 so you pay what you would for 2 fs ponies, third baskets are a bonus a reward for plot and rp.
Sales and breedings are the bases of a shop. If you want to see breeding costs increased and even tiered, then the same would have to be done with flatsales as well. With the inflation on Gaia in general there's been an increase in the base prices in the B/C as well, being an older shop Soquili's sale/breeding prices are on the lower end of average.

I wouldn't mind if things were changed, but it shouldn't have anything to do with the pricing of customs just of flatsales and breedings.  

[Sweenys_Revenge]

I feel like paying a minimum of 50k for a breeding would turn a lot of people off of it. I can't think of a single shop with stock lines that charges more than 15k for breedings.

I, for one, would not pay that much for a breeding. I'd just quest for the children. It's more, but then at least I'd be spending a lot and know what I'm getting. Breedings are chance, and you don't always get what you want out of them.

My Claude, for instance, has a head ornament. I love his head ornament. I want all of his kids to have the head ornaments. Sadly, they can't. Or at least, its not likely. Now, I don't mind this chance because it's only 12k that I'm gambling with. But if I spend 50k on a chance I'd damn sure better get that frigging head ornament. So I'll probably custom a set of kids, all of whom have head ornaments.

I'm just saying that's a lot of money to wager on chance.  

[PANK x l3mons]

Good evening, since there were a bunch of responses while I was out today I am not going to reply to them all. However, there are a few points I would like to address.

1. Thank you to everyone who has posted today for remaining level headed and civil in their responses. It means a lot to not be totally shot down without much of an explanation beyond 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it' because if I didn't think it was broken I would not be trying to fix it.

2. I see that what most people have a problem with is the tiers and the big jump in prices. I would like to reiterate that the example in the OP is just that, an example. I am the kind of person that does not like to present a suggestion without first taking a stab at a solution.

3. I apologize if I came off as sounding like I thought Soquili was better than the rest or superior to other shops, specifically SoA. That was not my intention and not my true opinion. I admit I was getting defensive and 'spoke' in error.

4. Having read all the arguments against tiered breeding, I find myself agreeing with those who think it is a bad idea. Unless it stuck to something like unedited/edited for two flat prices it would get messy.


However, that aside I still think that breedings should be raised in price. I have never found it all that onerous a task to accumulate gold quickly so it doesn't have the same value to me as it clearly does to others. I concede that 500k for a single parent can seem like a lot to some people. I also did not consider that it is tied to flatsale prices, though I don't think it should be now the fact has been brought to my attention. Colorists spend hours of their free time on Soquili breedings, and I think they should get more than staff credits for it. I understand there are events somewhat frequently, and those end up being a big 'payday' for all the staff involved, but that's what; twice to three times a year?

What price would everyone pay for a breeding? I think the price should go up but clearly my view is skewed so perhaps we can all reach a theoretical consensus on the matter.  

[Sweenys_Revenge]

I think 6k per person is fine. No one has voiced a concern about this before you because no one had a concern. From what I've read, raising the prices will only cause a big problem. For that reason the prices probably won't be raised. The staff don't want to deal with that kind of trouble.

So I don't really know why you're still pressing this issue, unless you're secretly a staff member plotting something, in which case I'm not changing my freaking tone. I've been watching a lot of Jenna Marbles today, and her voice is reading this as I write it, so it's sounds a little smarmy.

But, if I have to give a hypothetical number, which I don't, but I'm gracing you with anyway, so be honored...

I'd only go as high as 15k per person. And even then I'd want a freaking WIP of the adult pony, and be allowed to adjust the apperence. That's the higher end of the spectrum I'd pay, and I'm really cheap.